I received a call last week from Ty Stewart (Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment Vice President), who wanted to inform me, prior to their press release, that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament of Champions (TOC) was being revived. I appreciated the call. He knew I was the creator of the original TOC as well as its defending champion and wanted to get my approval/opinion of the event. He also informed me that I was an automatic invite. I told him I was thrilled that the WSOP TOC was being revived and that I’ve been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to defend my title.
Here are the details of the 2010 WSOP TOC: The field will consist of 27 players, of which five will get automatic berths. Those five will be the three previous WSOP TOC winners (myself, Mike Matusow, and Annie Duke) as well as the reigning WSOP Main Event champion, Joe Cada, and the reigning WSOP Europe Main Event champion, Barry Shulman. Two slots will go to sponsor exemptions and the other 20 seats will go to those who are voted in by the public, just like All-Star balloting in other sports.
The tournament will be on June 27th, with those making the final table returning on July 4th. The tournament will be televised by ESPN. It’s a freeroll for the players and the prize money will be as follows:
1st place = $500,000
2nd place = $250,000
3rd place = $100,000
4th to 9th places = $25,000 each.
They are hoping to create a lot of hoopla with the voting process, which takes place on WSOP.com and ends on June 15th. Everyone will be permitted to cast one vote for up to 20 players. The only condition to vote for a player you would like to see play is that they must have won at least one WSOP bracelet, meaning top cash game players like Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius will not be eligible. For your information, there are currently 521 living bracelet winners.
I’m glad they have revived the WSOP TOC and I hope that it’s an annual event. They feel that the WSOP TOC will help elevate poker and create an exciting All-Star event for the game; I would agree with that. For sure, regardless of who gets voted in, it will be a terrific field and a great event for television.
I really like the idea that to be eligible to participate and be voted upon, you have to be a WSOP bracelet winner. Although there are great players who are online stars and/or excellent high-stakes cash game players, I believe it’s in the best interest of the WSOP to promote those who have won bracelets. Let’s be honest, the marketing of the WSOP bracelet is ingenious. It’s bracelets, not money won, that determine the world’s greatest players. I do, however, wonder how the selection process will turn out.
My guess is that most of the 20 selected in the voting process will be those who have mainstream media recognition, but it will be interesting to see who campaigns the hardest to get in and/or has Twitter or Facebook working for them. Certainly, that could make a difference. For foreign players, perhaps a country will unite behind one or more of their bracelet winners and get them in.
This tournament will create a lot of chatter in poker circles. Creating a buzz about any televised event in any sport is always a good thing and poker is no exception. Certainly, who gets in and who doesn’t will create a lot more discussion. Here are some questions that I have:
1. Will most of the 20 selected players be old school players or young guns?
2. How many former World Champions will be in the field?
3. Will anybody with one bracelet make the field or would you guess (like I would) that the vast majority will be players who have won multiple bracelets?
4. Other than Annie Duke, will any other women make the field?
5. How many living members of the Poker Hall of Fame will get in?
6. How many Europeans and other non-U.S. players will make the field?
7. Will some creative online site or portal have a contest for anyone predicting the most players voted into the 2010 WSOP TOC? Doing this would certainly create a lot of buzz and excitement for a lot of people with regards to this event.
One thing’s for sure, I’m excited to be a participant in the 2010 WSOP TOC. I will never forget what poker legend Stu Ungar once said to me: “Anyone can win a poker tournament. Defending, that’s where it’s at.” I look forward to the opportunity to defend my title!